‘I didn’t realise how much it would change my life’: Shauna Castaner in California, where she lives. Photograph: Andri Tambunan/The Guardian View image in fullscreen ‘I didn’t realise how much it would change my life’: Shauna Castaner in California, where she lives. Photograph: Andri Tambunan/The Guardian Experience Life and style Experience: I’m allergic to the cold My condition is severe, so I have to a keep close watch on my body temperature and can’t eat chilled foods
Prefer the Guardian on Google I n 2012, when I was 37, I started noticing that my fingers would get swollen and red whenever I held an iced drink. I thought it was strange, but I didn’t know what was going on. Then the same thing would happen when I handled food from the fridge. My instinct was to put my hands under hot water, but that made it worse.
For a while, that’s all I experienced. I thought it was weird but not dangerous. I was busy with my three children, so didn’t worry.
But then other areas of my body started to react. Once, I was eating ice-cream when the inside of my cheeks started swelling and my tongue felt weird. It was scary.
In the spring of 2014, I went to the doctor. They referred me to an allergist for a test – they put an ice cube inside a metal container and stick it on your arm, cover it up and leave it for 10 minutes. When they take it off, they watch to see what happens as your body warms up. That is generally when the hives and swelling start.
The allergist confirmed I had cold urticaria , a rare condition that means you’re allergic to the cold, and that it was a severe allergy, meaning I could have an anaphylactic reaction. The doctor prescribed me some EpiPens and said I could take antihistamines, but that they didn’t always work.
What I didn’t realise back then was just how much this would change my life. I joined a support group on Facebook. Reading other people’s stories made me nervous about what could happen to me. I thought: “What if it gets worse?”
Cold urticaria affects people differently. Some have a genetic version and others, like me, develop it for no apparent reason. It’s an allergy to cold temperatures that can be triggered by the weather, but also temperatures inside buildings, and things like food and drink.
From mid-October to around April, it’s hard for me to leave my house View image in fullscreen Shauna Castaner at home. Photograph: Andri Tambunan/The Guardian I can’t eat or drink anything straight from the fridge or freezer. I’ve learned how to take the chill out of things without making them hot and gross. I microwave yoghurt for five seconds, and then another five if it still seems too cold.
Over the years, I have worked out that my temperature threshold is about 73F (22.8C). There are variables: if it’s slightly colder but the sun is fully out I can comfortably be outside, but I would struggle if it’s warmer but windy. I have four weather apps and temperature gauges in every room of my house.
I live in Sacramento, California. From mid-October to around April, it’s hard for me to leave my house. It doesn’t get freezing cold, but in the dead of winter I have to bundle myself up in layers.
Summer is really hot, so we keep the air conditioning on in the house. I wear a cardigan, drink hot coffee and stay away from the vent. Showers are a huge issue: the longer I take, the hotter I get, which causes a bigger temperature difference between my body and the air. Quick temperature changes are a huge trigger. I alwa…